Abdullah Al Saadi: Sometimes You Have to Go a Long Way to Come Back a Short Distance

Inspired by his intercontinental travels, Al Saadi’s conceptual art creates new maps, networks and stories through natural and manmade materials

Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi (born 1967) has a long and storied relationship with the Emirate of Sharjah. He is a member of the pioneering ＂Five＂--the generation of conceptual artists who emerged in the United Arab Emirates in the 1980s and reshaped the cultural landscape. Al Saadi combines natural materials such as stones with artistic techniques including painting and drawing to create imagined worlds inspired by his travels. This monograph focuses on Al Saadi’s sculptures and their relationship to rock art from the Arabian Peninsula. Featuring extracts from the artist’s sketchbooks and journals, as well as from installations and real-time documentation of his travels, this monograph is an invitation to encounter Al Saadi’s life and art, particularly the human and environmental narratives at the core of his practice.